


A Quiet Day in the Wilderness

by The_Exile



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Creepy Dolls, Family, Gen, Plants, Wolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 12:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19463575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Exile/pseuds/The_Exile
Summary: Jiao has been teaching Elize to look after the monsters. Teepo is 'helping'.





	A Quiet Day in the Wilderness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YumeHanabi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeHanabi/gifts).



> I like to think this is set in an AU where Jiao and Elize can live in peace.

"Hey, gimme some of that!" 

Elize tore a chunk off the axe beak fillet in her sandwich, then threw it up into the air for a rapidly diving Teepo to catch. The animated doll snatched the morsel from the air with a gulp of its worryingly large maw. By a process that Elize did not understand and wasn't sure she wanted to, the meat disappeared and the doll spun around in a strange dance for a while, showing off its considerable acrobatic skills for a creature with no arms and legs that probably shouldn't even be capable of thought or movement, before coming to rest just above Elize's head, prompted by a stern look from the young girl. Teepo grinned and wobbled around like a demonic purple striped bowling ball but otherwise stayed still.

"You hardly left me any!" he accused in a screechy voice, "You're supposed to share!"

"Well, I've already shared with Uncle Jiao and Puppy, and eaten my own half, so there isn't much left," she said, folding her arms, "Anyway, Puppy is growing big and he needs a lot of food, and he only eats meat. You're small and you eat anything and why do you even eat anyway?"

The doll tried to launch into an intense lecture on the process of mana transfer from living objects to magitechnological constructs, so Elize stuffed a sandwich into his mouth to shut him up. 

"Here, have some more to say I'm sorry you had to wait for so long. Uncle Jiao says that Puppy is scared of you."

"Scared of ME? That giant wolf thing with the burning eyes? It could swallow me whole!"

"Well, he's seen you be stretchy so he thinks you could stretch out to eat him too," explained Elize, "And also you keep flying in and out of nowhere and flying real fast too close to his face. Dogs don't like that."

"It sounds like you're learning a lot about... um... dogs?" Teepo frowned, still unsure if that beast counted as a dog.

"Uncle Jiao trusts me to feed the animals on my own now, and he says if I'm good, I can teach Puppy some tricks!"

"You do understand that the 'animals' here are very dangerous, don't you?"

She nodded, grinning, "Uncle Jiao taught me all about how to be safe. You've gotta respect them but also show them that you're the boss. All animals are like that, you know - they're not just there for us people," Teepo was secretly flattered that he was now considered to be a person, "They've got their own lives. They might be easier to make friends with than the people down the mountain but they'll easily hurt me if I threaten something of theirs, or I break one of their rules."

"People are like that anyway. They're simpler than you think," exclaimed Teepo, "When they chase you away, they're just like wolves chasing a strange cub away from their den, because you don't smell like their pack. So there's no need to take it personally."

"Is Uncle Jiao like that, too?" Elize frowned, "He does worry me, sometimes..."

"He's... more like a bear. He just wants to be left in peace really but he'll do bad things to people who mess with his family."

"It's okay, though, because we're his family, right?"

"If someone from the outside tries to start something stupid, I'd keep out of his way," said Teepo, yawning, "But he's a good person at heart, and so are you, so it'll be okay, I promise. We can actually have a life here."

"That's good," she smiled, "Hey, do you want to see me feed flies to Mister Planty?"

"Mister Planty? What kind of a name is that?" Teepo hovered by her side as she made her way through the wilderness, "Seriously, you need to consult me before you try and name anything in the future..."


End file.
